


Downworlder

by imaginess



Series: Parenthood [2]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Adoption, Alec loves fatherhood, Family, Fluff, Husbands, M/M, Malec, Marriage, Married Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Oneshot, Parenthood, Racism, Toddler
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2019-05-02 19:30:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14551827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginess/pseuds/imaginess
Summary: Alec decides he doesn’t want anyone calling his son a Downworlder.Or: Alec comes to a realization about shadowhunters’ passive racism and how it effects his family.**Oneshot, can be read apart from the series**





	Downworlder

Alec had never given much thought to the term “Downworlder”. It was his job as Head of the Institute to protect Downworlders, stay up to date on Downworld activities, and oversee the downworld cabinet meetings.

His family had received some reaction when Alec had committed himself to a Downworlder. Of course, Alec didn’t think of his husband as this. A warlock, yes. A powerful, immortal, magical being, yes. But “Downworlder” never quite fit.

It wasn’t until their son came into their life that Alec started having _issues_ with the term.

There were a number of things Alec knew people said about him. He was the Head of the Institute so rarely did he hear them with his own ears, but they were being said.

When older shadowhunters talked about his personal life, they referenced his “little family of Downworlders”. When Alec would make strides in relations between the Nephilim and other groups, Shadowhunters would mutter about his “unnatural obsession” or even “fetish” for the Downworld.

Alec didn’t care what people said about him. But he cared about his family.

A few weeks before Max’s second birthday, Magnus dropped him at the Institute so he could meet with a client.

Alec greeted them at the front door, and Max squealed when he saw his Dad. Alec laughed as Max all but launched himself into his arms, babbling “Dada, Dada, Dada”.

Magnus gave him a quick peck on the cheek and transferred their son’s diaper bag into his arms.

“How’s my big man doing today?” Alec asked, bouncing his son on his hip.

Max’s only response was to reach out and pat the top of his dad’s head, still babbling. Alec looked to his lover who gave him a _look_.

“This morning he and Chairman played a fun game of ‘terrorize Papa’s apartment’ while Papa was making breakfast. And then he practiced his new favourite word which starts with N and ends with O. So he’s had one apple slice to eat all day.”

The picture that Magnus painted was all too familiar and caused Alec to grin. Max had been going through a phase of saying “no” to every suggestion they made. Bathtime, dinnertime, playtime, and bedtime had turned into debate club with their two-year-old. And he won more often than he probably should.

Both of them had agreed that they had this coming as Max had been an incredibly well-behaved baby.

“Who’s your client today?” Alec asked.

“Another warlock. I’m helping her with her healing magic.”

Alec frowned a little, “Healing? Shouldn’t she see Catarina?”

Magnus shrugged, “She wanted to learn from me. Anyway, she’s young and not very powerful, I can show her the basics.”

Max started squirming in his Dad’s arms so Alec let him down to the floor, holding onto his hand.

“Well, call when you’re done. I might be here a bit late but Izzy said she could take Max if we’re both stuck with work.” Max started pulling at his arm, and Alec knelt down to his level.

“Max, say goodbye to Papa and then we can go see Uncle Jace.”

Max looked up at Magnus, dark eyes squinted. “Papa, no.”

With that statement he turned and kept trying to get past Alec into the Institute.

Alec looked up at his husband with a shrug, “That might be all you’re getting for a goodbye.”

Magnus chuckled and touched the top of his son’s squirming head. “Bye, blueberry. Papa loves you.”

That got no reaction so Alec stood, letting Max run past him into the Institute.

The fathers shared a look as Alec hefted the diaper bag onto his shoulder. “See you tonight?”

Magnus leaned in and gave him a quick kiss, squeezing his bicep through his patrol jacket. “Good luck, darling.”

When Alec closed the doors of the Institute behind him, his son had already cleared the corridor, no doubt bothering the Shadowhunters on duty in the Ops centre.

Sure enough, when he reached the room a small crowd had gathered around Max, who was touching a rune carved into the floor. Underhill had knelt down to his level and was trying to engage, but Max was completely ignoring him for favour of hitting the metal floor panel with his open palm.

Alec hurried over and scooped his son up, which caused Max to squeal.

“Max, say hi to John”.

Max looked at Underhill and let out a quiet “No”.

Underhill laughed and Alec smiled sheepishly. “Sorry, it’s a phase.”

“That’s alright, where’s your better half?”

“He has a client. He just stopped to drop this stinker off.” Alec punctuated this with a tickle to his son’s side, causing the toddler to squeal in laughter.

From the corner of his eye, Alec could see an older Shadowhunter cross their arms and scowl in his direction. Children weren’t technically prohibited from the Ops centre, but Nephilim still preferred for children to be seen and not heard.

From the moment he and Magnus had decided to adopt, Alec had sworn that he would never treat his son differently at work. He had had a blessed childhood compared to his partner, but he still remembers tiptoeing around his mother in public, not knowing if she would be the gentle and loving mother from home or the strict and cold woman from the Institute.

His mother had commented that the interactions with his son at work might lose him some respect from the Institute he ran. Alec couldn’t find it in himself to care. When his child was there, he would act like a father, and when he wasn’t there, he would command respect.

His son had started squirming again, so Alec released him. The little blue warlock immediately headed for the same metal panel on the floor.

He didn’t always understand how his son’s mind worked, but he supposed he should just be thankful he didn’t go for the rack of weapons or the flashing security panels.

Alec crossed his arms as he watched his son’s fascination with the floor, and Underhill copied his body language, coming to stand beside him.

“Adam asked me about kids.” Alec’s eyebrows shot up and he turned to the other man.

“And what did you say?”

Adam was Underhill’s partner for a couple years now, but he worked out of the LA institute.

“I didn’t know what to say, honestly. I spent so much time focusing on the job and hiding from...everything else. I never thought about it with a man—with him, even. And now, I don’t know...maybe it’s too late.”

Alec frowned, “You’re not an old man, John, even if you act like it.”

Underhill laughed, “I guess. Still.”

“Still, nothing. If you want it then go for it. Max is...everything. To me and to Magnus. If you think someday you’ll look back and regret not having a child, then maybe you should think about it.”

John’s smile was sincere when he clapped his boss on the shoulder. “Thanks, Alec. That...that helps.”

“Sir.” Both men looked up at the young man who had approached them. He was a new transfer from the Moscow Institute named Waxbow.

Alec looked down and saw that Waxbow was holding Max by the forearm, who seemed relatively unbothered.

“This Downworlder wasn’t signed into the log, Sir.”

Alec and John both froze for a moment, and John was the first to recover. “That’s not a _Downworlder,_ he’s the son of the Head of this Institute. Release him.”

Waxbow did as ordered, but his expression remained concerned. Max ran over to his father and reached out his arms, “Up”.

Alec lifted his son into his arms, still speechless.

“Apologies, Sir, but policy dictates that Downworlders must be logged into the system. It’s a matter of security, Sir.”

The Head of the Institute didn’t reply immediately, leaving an uncomfortable tension in the air.

“You’re dismissed, Waxbow.” he finally managed.

This was far from the first time that someone had pointed out that Max was a different race from his father. It wasn’t the first time someone had drawn attention to the fact that they were not related by blood. His son was _blue_ for Heaven’s sake.

But this was the first time that Alec realized he hated the word “Downworlder”.

Alec was proud that his son would grow into a strong warlock like his father. But Nephilim used this blanket term to imply that his son and his husband were somehow less. They used it to refer to a diverse community of non-shadowhunters, with nothing in common other than their inferiority to Nephilim. 

Waxbow didn’t mean any of this overtly by his actions. Maryse didn’t intend to convey this when she commented that she’d “never expected to have a Downworlder for a grandson”.

But every time someone used that term it reminded Alec that his people saw Max and Magnus as something  _other._

Alec had delivered Max to his uncle Jace that afternoon and returned to his office. 

That night he completed his proposal to the Clave about the use of a certain word. 

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all!  
> This is my second fic for this fandom IN ONE DAY. Being unemployed is so fun.  
> If you liked this, please leave a comment. And make sure to read my first story of how Max came into our boys’ lives.


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